Backlighting the oldschool Gameboy

[DK]

I've been wondering this for ages, is it possible to backlight the gameboy. Most people say no... if you use LEDs.

My idea tho is to use the same technique as the Gameboy light (backlit gameboy light). Basically it uses Electro Luminesense film, like digital watches.

My only worry is, can I open the screen without breaking it?

[Nucklez]

I've installed an Afterburner into an original GBA. Something like that would work great actually. It's a really small LED mounted to a very thin plastic bar that is as wide as the screen. It has a thin sticky plastic that connects to the "light bar" and sticks to the front of LCD screen. You have to remove the LCD screen and place it inside of the GBA between the LCD screen and the clear protective plastic part of the screen. It works great actually! My only issue was that I wasn't in a completely lint free environment. I ended up with a few little pieces of lint between the sticky film and the LCD screen and now it will be there forever! You can really only see the lint when the screen is showing a dark color like black or dark blue though.

I guess I said all that to tell you that the LCD is prolly just glued to the inside of the case. Just be careful when you try and pry it out, and carefully pry around the entire LCD screen to make sure it it loose from the glue before you try and yank it out.

[bicostp]

I think the GBC and GBA screens may use different technology than the GBO/GBP screens do. When you pull the GBC screen out of the case and hold it up to a light, the image disappears. You could try pulling the older screen out, maybe it's different.

[DK]

I will, when I can find another gameboy. The only one I have was my first games console. Love it too much to hack. When I get one for my GBA SP in a GBO case, I'll rip the rest apart.

[vskid]

I guess I said all that to tell you that the LCD is prolly just glued to the inside of the case. Just be careful when you try and pry it out, and carefully pry around the entire LCD screen to make sure it it loose from the glue before you try and yank it out.

I took the screen cover off and pushed the screen out from outside the case (with it opened, of course). Just evenly apply the pressure and you should be fine.

[Skyone]

Nah, I've tried it with a GBC and GBO, both failed.

[DK]

Skyone, what did you try to backlight it with? LEDs or EL film? And when you said it didn't work, do you mean it was too bright and washed out the screen or that the thing just broke.

[CronoTriggerfan]

I don't think it's a matter of the kind of light or method you use, just that light distorts the dot-pitch LCD screen of this kind of make. I really don't see if an electroluminescent light would yeild different results than LED's...

CTFan

[vskid]

I don't think it's a matter of the kind of light or method you use, just that light distorts the dot-pitch LCD screen of this kind of make. I really don't see if an electroluminescent light would yeild different results than LED's...

CTFan

It might work on a GBO, it has been done on a TI-85 and TI-86 before. I just don't know where you would get the EL film, though.

[DK]

This is why I think EL film would work. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy_l ... _Boy_Light

[Indigno]

You could try frontlighting if you feel brave. Like the first run SP screens.

[Skyone]

This is why I think EL film would work. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy_l ... _Boy_Light

No where in there does it say EL Film, wouldn't be different than anything else though.

And I tried with LEDs and a backlight, both washed it out.